The present invention relates to single operation normally closed valves, and in particular to a normally closed, hermetically sealed valve for interconnecting with and being opened by a fluid couple, while maintaining at all times a fluid tight connection therewith.
Many fluids customarily are transported and stored within sealed containers equipped with valves through which the fluid may later be selectively withdrawn. Where the containers are reusable and of relatively expensive metal, and where the fluid is perishable when exposed to contaminants, such as bacteria or spores in the atmosphere, great care must be exercised to ensure cleanliness of the containers and to at all times maintain the fluid in a sanitary condition.
One such perishable fluid is syrup for drinkable beverages, which bottling companies conventionally distribute to their dealers in reusable stainless steel containers equipped with spring loaded valves. To withdraw the syrup, a dealer inserts a so-called Hansen-style coupler or connector into the valve to establish a fluid passage with the contents of the container. The Hansen coupler is generally cylindrical, with a spring loaded seal at an inlet end thereto, and upon movement of the coupler into the valve the seal engages a complementary spring loaded seal in the valve. Continued movement of the coupler into the valve both moves the valve seal thereof away from its seat, against the action of the spring, and moves the coupler seal away from its seat, to establish a fluid passage between the syrup in the container and an outlet from the coupler. Means are provided, when the coupler is fully extended into the valve, to removably secure the coupler therewith and to form a fluid seal therebetween.
Because of the cost and replacement difficulty of the stainless steel containers, dealers are required to make a substantial deposit on each container. Further, because of the perishable nature of the syrup, empty stainless steel containers must thoroughly be cleaned and sterilized, at considerable expense, prior to being refilled with syrup, and care must at all times be taken, including when the coupler is interconnected with the valve, to maintain the syrup in a sanitary condition. It would therefore be very desirable to provide such syrup to dealers in inexpensive, single use, sanitary containers, of a type wherein a plastic bag for holding the fluid is contained within a paperboard closure, equipped with a valve which maintains the fluid in a hermetically sealed sterile condition prior to dispensing, and which economically may be discarded when the contents thereof are exhausted.